England's Men and Women’s sides served up plenty of memorable moments in their opening Rugby League World Cup fixtures, with the Women running in 13 tries against Wales and the Men producing a brave performance against Tonga.
Here are some of the standout numbers from the weekend (All stats provided by Opta):
England Women v Wales
First up were the Women against Wales on Saturday, and teenage star Izzy Rowe wrote her name into the history books.
The 19-year-old crossed for two tries and kicked nine goals to finish with 26 points, equalling Natalie Gilmour's record for the most points scored by an England Women's player in an international match.
Plenty more individuals in Stuart Barrow’s side were instrumental in laying the platform for victory.
Anna Davies topped the metre count with 200 metres and four tackle busts, while fellow hat-trick scorer Connie Boyd enjoyed a dream debut with three tries.
Fran Goldthorp carried for 185 metres and added one try assist, two line breaks and three tackle busts, while vice captain Georgia Wilson played a key role in attack with three try assists, 136 metres and three tackle busts.
Amelia Brown was another standout performer, making 135 metres and scoring twice. One of her tries came from 107.8 metres out and is thought to be in contention to be one of the longest-range scores in World Cup history.
Few players caused Wales more problems than Hollie-Mae Dodd, who led the way with six tackle busts. She also featured prominently in defence, registering 19 tackles.
England's defensive efforts were led by Mary Coleman with 24 tackles, while Eva Hunter contributed 21. In her first appearance for England, Jasmin Strange topped the carry count with 16 runs, helping her side to continually winthe battle for territory.
Overall, England Women crossed for 13 tries in a dominant display to open up their World Cup campaign.
England v Tonga
For the Men's side, there was plenty to admire despite defeat to Tonga. Victor Radley led England's defensive effort with 43 tackles, while Super League’s Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel Brad O'Neill added 41 and debutant Max King finished with 38 in a number of tireless displays.
Out wide, Dom Young was England's leading metre-maker, carrying for 174 metres and breaking three tackles as he consistently got his side on the front foot.
Captain George Williams made the joint most runs of any player on the pitch (19).
Finally, one of the brightest performances came from debutant Hugo Savala. The energetic centre created both of England's tries with two try assists, recorded more tackle busts than any other player in the match and kicked both of his conversion attempts to cap an impressive first international appearance.
Follow England's journey into Week 2 and watch the 2026 Rugby League World Cup LIVE with a Premier Sports subscription.
Follow England RL on social media for all the latest news and updates - we are on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok. You can also subscribe to the official England Rugby League YouTube channel here!
Wear England's new kit with pride in 2026. Get yours here!
